Our Three Blessings

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

We had a busy but fun Thanksgiving this year. Luckily our family lives here so we don't have far to travel. We started off the holiday with lunch at Maymie and Pappy's house. The boys saw their cousins and extended cousins and had a blast playing with everyone. The food was great and it was great to see the whole family. After lunch and some play time, we headed to my nanny's house for our Thanksgiving dinner. The boys got to see all of their older cousins and play with them. The whole family finally got to meet Caroline for the first time, so that was neat. By the end of the day, we were stuffed and the boys were beat. They definitely slept well that night.

We hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! I know we have SO much to be thankful for this year! Our God is so good!

Dress Up!

2009-11-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

I was folding clothes the other day and Caleb was "helping" me. He decided to put on some of Shane's socks and work boots and play with his pretend leaf blower...aka one of the pieces to my vacuum cleaner. He played like this for quite a while and actually let me snap a pic. This child has such an imagination!

Like Father, Like Son...

2009-11-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

One night we decided to try a new restaurant near our house. Every time we wanted to try it, it looked like there was a long wait. This night there was no wait so we were pumped! The place is called Cheddar's and we had heard great things about it. We loved it! The food was good and the atmosphere was very kid friendly which is a plus for us. Shane decided to order some ribs...he loves him some ribs. Caleb had never had ribs before so we let him try them. After the first bite, he was hooked. He actually ended up eating half of Shane's meal. All I can say is like father,like son.

Trunk or Treat and Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

This year we went to two trunk or treats! Thank you Pharr's and Turner's for inviting us and letting us share in the fun! The boys dressed up as UT football players and Caroline was their cheerleader! The boys enjoyed going around from car to car and getting lots of candy. We even got to enjoy a hayride too!

For Halloween, we all went to Maymie and Pappy's house for a yummy dinner and trick or treating. It was rather cold that night,but that didn't stop the boys from running from house to house saying trick or treat. The boys had a blast with all of their cousins. It was so neat to see them really enjoy and understand the concept this year. We had to leave a little early though because we couldn't miss the kickoff for our vols that were playing.
We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

The Big Bad Wolf

2009-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Instead of a UT football player this year,Caleb decided to tell me at the last minute that he wanted to look like the big bad wolf. We decorated cookies tonight for Halloween. Caleb wanted the black icing so we let him decorate with it. Caleb was left at the table while Shane and I were cleaning up Caden and the huge mess that was made. When we stopped to see what was keeping Caleb so occupied, this is what we found...

This picture doesn't even show the magnitude of his "decorating" himself. Hehad even gone the extra mile and painted black icing on the tops of each finger and toe to truly look like the big bad wolf. He is something else!

Caden just enjoyed and savored every bite of the cookie he decorated!

Family Pics

2009-10-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Before Caroline was born, I told Shane the one thing I really wanted was some great photos taken of the family. I found this photographer through some friends and I just LOVED her work. A week after Caroline was born, Jadie came out to take some pics of the family. I told her that I really didn't have high expectations of getting good pics of the boys because they never sit still. Well, Jadie must have some sort of magical power because the boys did great and I am SOOOO happy with the results. Take a look...

1 month already

2009-10-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Caroline is a month old already. Time is flying by. I have to say that Caroline is definitely the most relaxed and laid back baby. She loves to cuddle and is the best sleeper out of all of them. She has already exprienced her first trip to the beach! She is getting so big and I'm looking forward to the many more "firsts" for her that are coming up!

I just love this picture! Her little bottom up inthe air is too cute. I got some bloomers for Caroline to wear, but they are still just a little too big!

Beach Time!!!

2009-10-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

What do you do when the forecast calls for rain ALL week? You head to the beach. Beka called me the night before asking if we wanted to go to the beach since the rental was available. I of course said sure. So, with a few hours to pack for 5, one of which is a newborn, we loaded up and headed south. The boys were so excited when they woke up and told them we were going to the beach. With 2 newborns and 4 toddlers, some would say we were crazy. I like to think of it as adventurous!
The car ride was smooth and the weather was fabulous! We had a great time! The boys all played together on the beach and Caroline and Josiah just slept. Of course the trip would not have been as fabulous if it weren't for the help of the best sitter in the world Miriam. The boys had so much fun with her. We are already looking forward to our next trip to the beach!

Having fun in the sand and sun!!!

Sweet Josiah and Caroline napping on the beach!

All the boys posing for a pic!

Splish Splash

2009-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Caroline got to use her big girl tub today!!! She loved every minute of it! I can't believe she is already 2 weeks old...time has flown!

Our Little Volunteers!!!

2009-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had our first official tailgate with all 3 of our volunteers! The boys had a blast and Caroline pretty much slept the whole time. The food was great and even though our Vols lost, we still had a great time getting out of the house! Maybe the Volunteers will pull out a win next week!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today with all of the cousins and family. The weather was great and the kids had a blast! We saw the animals, played in the maze and corn. We also enjoyed a nice picnic lunch! We are getting ready for Halloween! This is our favorite time of year!

Welcome home Caroline!!!

2009-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

We are quickly getting adjusted to having a little one around the house. We came home Thursday and are settling back in to a routine. The boys are loving on Caroline so much and constantly asking where she is, what she's doing, and if they can hold her. It is so sweet! Thankfully, she is the calmest baby out of the 3. The noise level doesn't seem to bother her and she is a great sleeper! She actually slept for almost 5 hours last night. I know that it most likely won't last, but I can hope, can't I? We hope you are having a great week! Thank you to everyone for all of your help with the boys, food, errands, and most of all your prayers. We appreciate all you do and we love you so much!!!

Caleb loving on his baby sister!

The big brothers!!!

Our Family of Five!!!

2009-09-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

We had been patiently awaiting the arrival of our sweet baby girl! On Monday, we were one week out and I had thoughts, or hopes that is, that she might be coming late. All day Monday I was having contractions, but nothing to the point that told me it was time. It was finally a beautiful day after all of the rain we had been having, so the boys and I played and played...little did we know that it was the last day that we would officially be a family of four!!!
Early Tuesday morning(about 4:00), Shane was woken by me saying something like "oh no!" He instantly jumped out of bed and knew what had happened...my water broke. We called my dear friend Ms. Kelly and she came over to stay with the boys so we could quickly get to the hospital. She was so sweet to let us call her again so early in the morning...especially since we had to call her when we had the scare 3 weeks before. We headed to the hospital and I can honestly say I have NEVER seen Shane drive as fast as he did that morning. We made it in record time.
We arrived at the hospital and were checked in a little before 6. Things went really quickly and extremely smoothly...it was definitely a smoother experience than the craziness with Caden. We were there a little over 4 hours.
At 10:04 a.m. our sweet, healthy, and beautiful Caroline Hadley was born! She was 7lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. She has the chubbiest cheeks and looks just like her brothers when they were born. Caroline is perfect and we absolutely fell in love with her from the moment we heard her first cry and saw her sweet face. She is definitely a Daddy's girl already and her big brothers are in love!!!
The boys adore her and she is definitely going to be very well protected! :) Caleb is now fighting with Shane over who gets to hold her! :)
Thank you Lord for such an amazing blessing. Words can't express how grateful and honored we are to have this sweet baby girl in our lives! Our cup runneth over!

Our Sweet Angel!!! Look at those cheeks!

A few minutes old!!!

Caleb holding his new baby sister!!!

Caden meeting Caroline for the first time!!!

Our new family of five!!!

What do you do???

2009-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

After a week straight of rain and another week of rain in the forecast...my kids are going crazy!!! So, we are having to get creative with ideas for play. Opening Day for hunting season is quickly approaching. Shane was getting his stuff ready for the big day. He was testing out his blind for hunting, so we decided to play for hours and hours in our new tent. The boys had so much fun and it definitely took their mind off not being able to go outside. Thanks Dad for sharing your "tent" with us. We can't wait until we can use it for real and dress in our camo just like you!

Time Out

2009-09-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

We have tried many different discipline methods with Caleb. It seems that the one that works the best is time out. Caleb hates being taken away from the action, so this by far is the worst punishment you could think of. Lately, his favorite thing to do is tease his brother and take his paci away from him. After several warnings, he did it again. Off he went to time out. Of course he was screaming and kicking and you would have thought I had beaten him. I left the room for two seconds and all of sudden the dramatic crying had stopped. Oh no, I thought, what is he doing? Even though he knows not to get up, I figured that is what he did and why he wasn't crying. Well, I come back into the room and this is what I saw...

Caleb had talked Caden into sitting with him in timeout until it was time to get up. I guess he is taking the approach that if you can't beat them, you might as well join them!!!

Our Newest Addition...probably not what you are expecting!!!

2009-09-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we added a new member to our family this weekend. After much discussion and debate, we just knew it had to be done. We got a new car!!! Big Blue just wasn't cutting it for a family car. Back in the beginning of the summer, we realized that my car would not hold 3 carseats in the back row. Since Caleb (and me for that fact) are nowhere near ready for a booster, we knew we would have to make a change. We debated on a minivan vs. an suv with a 3rd row and that was wide enough to hold all 3 carseats in the middle row. After much research and many visits to dealerships, we found that the suv was the way to go. So, the search was on and it finally came to an end this weekend. We decided that what we really wanted was a Toyota Sequoia, but a Tahoe or Yukon would work too. We looked and looked and actually found two cars that were a little over what we wanted to spend, but we considered it because they were great deals. They were a little farther away than what we wanted, but we were willing to travel because they were such great deals. The first car we saw was in Tx and we found it on a Sunday. When we called Monday morning,they had sold the car that Saturday. So, we kept looking. The next time we found a car we liked,it was in NC and pretty much the same situation happened. We found it, called about it, and it was sold the day before. So, after much prayer and just leaving it to Him, it all worked out. We now have a car that we can all ride in, it was within our price point, the mileage, features, etc is everything that we wanted. We are extremely blessed and know that the good Lord knows what he is doing and everything works out in His timing and planning, not ours. The new car was officially the last thing on our list of things to do before Baby C arrives, so now we are set and just waiting for her to arrive!

Baby C's Room

2009-09-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

After a bit of a scare last week that involved a trip to the hospital and us thinking this baby would arrive 5 weeks early, we finally decided it was time to put the nursery together. The painters came and painted the room for us. It was quite a big change to go from the dark blue we had for Caleb to a bright pink. We changed the furniture around a little for a different look too and I am very pleased with the outcome. The only thing missing is the crib skirt. :( Unfortunately it is on backorder and will not be shipping until October 10th. Oh well. All of the other pieces are here, so we will make do with what we have for now. The clothes are washed, the bag is packed, and we pretty much have everything in order. We are definitely ready if this sweet little girl does actually come early. The boys love her room and every time they go in they will say "look how pretty!" Hopefully that means they are excited too! We shall see! We hope you are having a great week and getting ready for Labor Day! Thanks for checking in on us!

It's Football time in Tennessee!!!

2009-09-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again and we are so excited!!! There have been some BIG changes since last season and we have been waiting with much anticipation for opening day!!! The boys have been asking to wear their orange and they can't believe it is finally time! The Vols opened the season with a W over Western Kentucky. They looked good and gave us something to look forward to. Let's just hope they can keep it up! We had a great time celebrating the game with good food and lots of fun!!! Here's to a great season!!!

Sorry there are no pics...the camera battery is dead. Hopefully I will have time to come back and update once I get them downloaded to the computer!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2009-08-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Shane's birthday. I won't say how old he is just in case he minds. We celebrated this past weekend with close family and friends at a new cajun restaurant around here. Shane is a huge fan of cajun food and loved it. I was trying to keep it a surprise, but that didn't work out. He was a little too sneaky and ended up finding out. We enjoyed a great night out sans kids and it was very pleasant. Thanks Mere and Pa for watching our boys.
The boys and I made red velvet cupcakes for his birthday...those are his favorite. Caleb even got to help decorate them too!
Happy Birthday Shaney! We love you and are so proud of you! You are an amazing husband, dad, and man of God. We love you more and more each day. May you be blessed with many more happy and healthy years!

Our New Room

2009-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Since all of the sickness has passed, we have put the boys in the same room and let me just say they LOVE it! It is like having a sleepover every night with your best friend! Caden has always been a good sleeper and Caleb definitely has not, so I was a little apprehensive of how it would work out. Now it seems that Caleb is excited to go to bed and doesn't put up a fight. Yay! The first night we put them together I wasn't sure what to expect and thought we would be in for a long night. After we said good night and shut the door, we turned the monitor on to check on them. What I heard just melted my heart and made me thank the Lord for two of the sweetest boys in the world. Caleb was having a conversation with Caden and the first thing out of his mouth was, "So Caden, whatcha been doing today?" So sweet. Caleb will also sing songs to Caden and literally talk his ear off until he falls asleep. I love that the boys are becoming the very best of friends and enjoy each other's company. Don't get me wrong, they definitely have their moments. If one of the boys is away or still sleeping, it seems as though the other is lost and just waiting around until they can play with each other again. So, the boys are in their Big Boy beds and are officially not my babies. I think I have had more difficulty with the change than they have. I'm just thankful they have transitioned so well...hopefully that will be a trend that continues when the baby comes...I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ;)

The Fair

2009-08-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight we headed to the Williamson County Fair with the Laytons and Maymie and Pappy. The kids had a blast and enjoyed riding all of the rides, seeing the animals, and all of the free entertainment. Since Caleb was much bigger this year, he wanted to ride all of the daring rides and actually enjoyed them. There were still a couple that he wasn't too sure of. Caden on the other hand thoroughly enjoyed the rides he could ride and wasn't too happy when he had to get off. Maybe he will better understand the concept next year! Thanks for a fun time guys. We can't wait until next year with even more little ones in tow!

Baby Shower for Baby C

2009-08-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were showered with love and lots of wonderful pink things for the new baby. We still have not decided on a first name for her, but we know that it will begin with a C. After much discussion, we have at least decided on that.
On Saturday we had a shower with the Pharr side of the family and some of my dearest friends. It was so great to get to see everyone and have a chance to sit down, relax, talk, and enjoy being pregnant. On Sunday we had a shower with my family on my mom's side. The food was great and the games were lots of fun and entertaining to say the least. We received so many adorable outfits, accessories, and fun pink items for this baby. It is definitely a change from all of the blue and green we are used to seeing. Thanks to everyone that came and helped celebrate this blessing with us. This little girl is spoiled already! We appreciate your love and support and feel so extremely blessed! We can't wait for you to meet her!

July 2009

2009-07-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

July has been not too eventful for us. Caleb was sick for about a week, then Caden got it, then they were well for about a week, and then they were both sick at the same time. So, needless to say, I have been exhausted! We are definitely on the mend now and trying to make sure we don't catch any other sickness going around.
We celebrated the 4th of July at Phillip and Lacy's house. The boys got to see Baby Kamry...the newest addition to the Layton household. She was born the first week of July. Caleb loved looking at her and made me feel better about the big transition coming up. Caden, on the other hand, was not too thrilled with me holding her, so we shall see what happens.

During the week that we were well, we went to the zoo with Aunt Beka and Kingston and Solomon. The boys had so much fun seeing the animals and having a picnic lunch together. Of course, the snakes, spiders, and fish were a hit. Thank you guys for going with us and having a great time! We can't wait to go back!

We have postponed the joining of rooms until we are back into our regular sleep routine. So, we will give it another week or so and see how it goes.

Thanks for checking in on us.

June 2009

2009-06-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the summer weather and hanging out by our pool. The neighborhood pool is finally completed and that is where we are spending most of our time!!! The boys love playing in the water and are becoming more and more comfortable with it. They are definitely keeping me on my toes.

There have been a few big changes these past few weeks and one of the biggest changes is Caleb is Potty Trained!!! Woo hoo. My mom said that I couldn't officially say that until it had been a few months. So, we are officially out of diapers/pull ups and only wear big boy underwear ALL the time. We are so proud of Caleb for making this transition so smoothly and it is so nice to just have one child in diapers...even if it is for only a little while! :)

We have also made the transition to a big boy bed. We bought twin beds for both the boys, but thought it would be easier for Caden to stay in his crib for a little while longer. Caleb didn't have a choice because we sold his bed. He LOVES his bed and had so much fun jumping and jumping on it. Luckily, we have the safety rails so I'm not too concerned with him falling off.

We will be putting the boys in the same room in about a month or so and I can't wait to see how that goes. I will keep you posted. We hope you are enjoying the summer!!!

Disney Cruise 2009

2009-05-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to change things up a bit from our normal vacation to Destin. Back in January we learned that Shane had won a trip for the family for doing so well with State Farm. We talked about doing something that we had never done and we knew we wanted to go to the beach. We talked about Savannah, Ga and some other neat places, but finally decided on a Disney cruise. We received an incredible deal and thought that a cruise may not be so bad with 2 young kids and being able to tie in the Disney experience without having to travel to the theme park and long lines. So, we booked it and started the countdown. (On a side note, at the time of booking, we had no CLUE that I was pregnant. It turns out to travel on a cruise ship, you can't be more than 24 or 25 weeks and after finding out, we ended up making it right under the cutoff. Whew!)
We decided to make the drive down to Cape Canaveral instead of flying because we were going to stay in Destin a few extra days on our way back. We packed up the car and headed on an adventure that was sure to be a memorable experience!!!
The boys were great in the car considering how much time it took. Caleb was so excited and couldn't wait to see the cruise ship. This was also a first experience for Shane and myself. Our itinerary included the Bahamas and Disney's own private island Castaway Cay. It was a blast!!! From the moment we departed to the time we got back to port, we had a great time. The boys loved meeting the Disney characters and weren't scared of them at all. The activities were great and the food was fantastic. We did some theatre shows a few nights and the boys really seemed to enjoy them. We went to the island of Atlantis in the Bahamas and the boys LOVED the animals and sea life. The beaches and water were beautiful and crystal clear. We could have stayed there a few more days. We also enjoyed a day at Castaway Cay and had a blast. Caleb finally braved the water alone with his water wings and kept telling everyone he was a diver and he could swim all by himself. Go figure! On our last night on the boat and on our way back to Fl, we ran into some heavy storms and HUGE waves. It was incredible to see how big the waves were and to know that you were right smack in the middle of them. That was definitely an interesting evening, and it took a few days to get my equilibrium back to normal from all of the rocking. All in all, we had a fabulous time and feel so blessed to have been able to have this experience to share with the boys while we are still just a family of four. :)
Here are some pics from the trip.

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women that I know and love! It is the most challenging and trying job you will ever have, but it is THE most rewarding job you will ever have the privilege of knowing and experiencing.
We spent the day celebrating with family and of course enjoyed lots of yummy food!

This Mother's Day was a little different for us as we shared a BIG surprise with our family. On Friday, we found out we are adding a little girl to the family!!!

I know I haven't posted anything about the baby, but like I said earlier, life has been so crazy and we were just waiting for the right time. We were able to wait until I was about 16 weeks until we finally told. This is a HUGE surprise for us, but we are thrilled non the less. Here is kind of how it all went down.
Back in January/February, I was feeling funny. I was tired, sluggish, not sleeping well, and having night sweats. It had been going on for a while when I mentioned my symptoms to someone and they suggested I get my hormones tested because they most likely had not regulated since having Caden. Aside from the fact that I have had two kids and know what my body feels like when I am pregnant, I had taken two pregnancy tests as well, which were both negative. So, I called my dr. and scheduled an appt to have bloodwork done, etc. So, back in the middle of March I went for my checkup and to get all of the testing done. I was extremely nervous and just hoping that it was my hormones. One of our friend's husband was recently diagnosed with cancer and he is only 30, so of course, the worse case scenario was running through my head. Shane was in a meeting all day with State Farm and I knew I wasn't going to be able to talk to him until later in the afternoon. So, we did all the testing and then my dr. did my exam. When he finished, he got a funny look on his face. I obviously have known my dr.for quite some time and this was not a face that I had ever seen. His nurse, who I am also close with, also looked scared because she had never seen it either. He looked up at me and said "Well, that was a weird exam." What? What in the world does that mean? So, of course I'm sure my BP was through the roof when I asked him what that meant and he proceeded to tell me that he thought I was 10 1/2 almost 11 weeks pregnant. Seriously? I think I told him that he wasn't funny and he could go ahead and tell me if it was cancer...I could handle it. But, he wasn't kidding. So, I went and had an ultrasound done just to make sure everything was fine and what a surprise to see that little heart beating perfectly. I wasn't able to tell Shane until later that night and I think that was the most nervous I have ever been. After the shock wore off, he of course was very excited and hoping it's a girl. So, when we went for the 20 week ultrasound and found out it was a girl, he was beside himself. My due date is September 28th. We are slowly, but surely getting used to the idea of having pink around the house. I just know that this little girl is going to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger!

So, that is our big news of the year! What an amazing God we have who continues to bless us and surprise us with His plans for us!!!

April in a Nutshell

2009-04-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind around our house. There has been so much going on I don't even know where to start. There have been some things that have happened to the family that are very sad and difficult to talk about. I just ask that if you read this, please pray for the Pharr family, especially Lacy and Phillip, and Mee-Maw. We just pray for strength and peace for them over these next few months as they continue to heal and cope with the events that have recently taken place.
As far as other things going on in April, we celebrated Easter this year at Beka and Jeremy's house. Of course, Caden was not feeling well, but was a trooper and did the best he could. It seems like one of my kids is always sick around this time of year and Caden just happened to be the lucky one. After church we headed over to their house for a yummy lunch. After lunch we had our annual Easter egg hunt in their huge back yard. This was Caleb's first official egg hunt, and he had a blast. I think my competitive nature came out a little during the race. :) Overall, we had a great time and all the kids got more than enough candy to eat. After Jeremy and Beka's, we headed to my Nanny's house to celebrate with my side of the family. Caleb and Caden love going to Nanny's because they are the only great grandchildren and are absolutely spoiled rotten. They had a great time playing with my younger cousins and we enjoyed another delicious meal for dinner. Of course, I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, but at this point, I will just take what I can get.

We also celebrated my birthday on the 19th with a fabulous dinner and grown up only night out. Thanks to Shane for making me feel so loved and special on my special day! And thanks to the grandparents for watching the boys so we could enjoy a night out. :)

In Progress

2009-04-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of potty training Caleb. He has shown interest in using the potty since about 18 months. There are days that he will use the potty and get so excited to have a treat...m and m's or skittles. Then there are days where he could care less. I've been told by several people not to push the issue and he will do it when he is ready. Well, yesterday was one of the days when he was excited to use the potty. He told Shane he needed to poop on the potty. So, Shane let him go and then when he walked in to the bathroom to clean him up, this is what he found...

Shane ran into the kitchen laughing hysterically, grabbed the camera and snapped a pic. I was in my room with Caden and when he brought the camera to me, he just said to look at the picture and tell him what was wrong with it. So, we are not really sure what happened here, but feel we are at least on the right track and making progress. Let's hope that next time it actually makes it into the potty.

Gone Fishing!!!

2009-03-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today the weather was beautiful and we have been dying to get out of the house. Caleb received his first fishing pole for his birthday in December so we thought today would be a great time to use it. We loaded up the car and headed over to Maymie and Pappy's house to fish at their pond. Caleb had his fishing pole and daddy had his. Caden and I just watched this time as Caden is still a little too small, but we had a great time and can't wait to go back soon. Unfortunately, we did not catch a fish this time. Caleb didn't seem to mind because he was too busy practicing casting and reeling it in. Maybe next time we will catch the big one.

Picnic Time

2009-03-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

When the weather is still a little too cold to be outside, we make best with what we have and get creative. So, today we had a picnic inside with all of Caleb's "friends". His Hippie the Hippo, Jake the Monkey, and bunnies enjoyed a fabulous lunch of warm soup on this cold day. It's the little things in life that bring such joy to a 2 year old! We hope you are staying warm!

Happy Birthday Pa!!!

2009-03-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today was Pa's birthday. We celebrated at his house with pizza and some yummy cake. The boys just LOVE their Pa, so any time we get to go to his house is a special treat. This time it really was a treat because it was Pa's special day, and of course he let Caleb help blow out the candles, and eat all of the cake and ice cream they wanted. We love you Pa and hope you had a special day!

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today we Caleb wanted to bake a cake for Shane to show him how much we love and appreciate him. He helped me make a cake for Shane and helped decorate it with the sprinkles...that is his favorite part. Other than getting to lick the icing off the spatula at the end. :)
Happy Valentine's Day Daddy! We love you very much!

Yard Work

2009-02-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

Shane has said on several occasions that we needed to plant trees along the property line in the back yard. If you have been out to our house, then you know the back yard has tons of huge rocks in the ground and makes it virtually impossible to grow grass, let alone some trees. So, after being here 2 years we have finally done something about it...with the help of one of Shane's kind insureds. He loves to do this kind of work and actually offered to plant two trees for us for free. Unfortunately, I don't think he realized what he was getting himself into until he was well into it. The boys loved watching him out the window each day he was here. It was great entertainment for the boys. My boys love to watch anyone doing some sort of work in the yard...I'm sure they get that from their dad!
The final product turned out great and now all we have to do is water the trees and watch them grow.

Good Old Rocky Top

2009-01-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend we headed up to Knoxville for the TN vs FL men's basketball game. I actually had an Arbonne event to attend, so we made a big trip out of it. Shane's good friend "Bean" came with us so Shane would have someone to keep him company while I was working. There were quite a few interesting moments that happened when we were there, but I just had to share this one. I had to get ready for my event and I left my make-up bag in the car. We were on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex and the balcony was facing the street the car was parked on. Shane went down to the car to get the bag and instead of walking all the way up the stairs, he decided that he could just throw it to me on the balcony. Now, of course I had some doubts because it was a pretty good distance. However, my sweet husband, who used to play football and baseball mind you, quickly reassured me that it was not a problem and he could make it easily. So, holding my breath, I agreed and low and behold, guess what happens. The make-up bag does NOT make it to the top. Instead, it lands on the balcony below us. No problem right? Wrong. We quickly went downstairs to someone's apartment we did not know to see if we could go out to their balcony and get my make-up bag. Well, it turn out they are not home. We couldn't jump down or climb over to the balcony because there was too great a distance. So, with about 20 minutes to get ready, the boys decide to walk down the street and ask the firemen if they could borrow the ladder. I guess it was a boring day in K-town because when the door opened, not only did they have a ladder, but they had all of the firemen at the fire hall walking down the street to "rescue" my make-up bag. Just the sight of seeing these men climbing the ladder to rescue some make-up was pretty hysterical. But, the firemen actually thanked Bean and Shane for asking them for help because they had nothing to do. Too funny. So, needless to say, everything worked out great and we ended up making it to the game after the event and had a great time. The Vols killed the Gators and a great time was had by all! Thanks to Mere and Pa for watching the boys. Of course, they had a fabulous time and enjoyed being spoiled even more!

The Affair to Care

2009-01-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

The Affair to Care is a fundraiser that I have been helping out with involving pediatric cancer research. This is the first annual fundraiser and it was a huge success. Having worked with children my entire life, this is a cause that I hold dear to my heart. I truly believe that many children's lives will be saved because of the money raised to continue to find a cure for this horrible disease. The food was fabulous, the band was amazing, and the silent auction had so many cool items for sale. It was great to see alumni from all the SEC schools to work together for this cause. Lots of money was raised for this incredible cause and Shane and I were able to have a fabulous night out. Thanks to Maymie for watching our boys so we could help celebrate!

Caden's First Birthday!!!

2009-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

My precious Caden,

A year has gone by since you joined our family, and what a wonderful year it has been. You were such a "surprise" to us when we found out you were on the way. Like always, the good Lord knew what he was doing when he gave you to us. You are such a tender, sweet, and loving little boy. You love to cuddle and give kisses and you have the sweetest smile. You have been so easy going and definitely fit right into our family and I can't imagine what our life would be like without you. You love your older brother and you are the best of friends! We can't wait to see what this next year holds for you as you become more independent. We pray for all of your dreams and wishes to come true. Thank you for completing our family and making us happier than we ever thought we could be. We are so proud of you!!!
We love you!
Mommy and Daddy

We celebrated Caden's first birthday with just family and a few close friends here at the house. I was anxious to see how Caden reacted to his cake and to see if he would dig right in. He was very reserved and was not a big fan of getting dirty or even eating the icing or cake. We can just say that he is not a big fan of sweets right now...maybe that will change. He definitely gets that from me and not his daddy. Caden enjoyed opening his presents and playing with all of his cousins and friends. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate our baby's first birthday. It was a special day and we are so thankful for all of you!

Caleb's Birthday Party

2009-01-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to do things a little differently and have the birthday party at a location other than our house. It actually turned out extremely well and I think we might do it again next year. :) We had the party at the Rainbow Room. There were slides, play houses, and tons of room for all of the kids to burn off some energy. Caleb invited all of his little friends and had his cousins there to help him celebrate turning 2. A good time was had by all and the kids definitely wore themselves out. Thank you to everyone that helped make his birthday such a fun and memorable day! It means so much! We love all of you!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

2008-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

My sweet Caleb,

Happy Birthday Little Man! I cannot believe 2 years have already gone by. You are such a blessing and joy to your daddy, me, and little brother. There is so much I want to tell you about how important you are to me. You are my firstborn, my heart, my practice child, my baby boy. I have actually learned more from you than you will ever know. Your beautiful smile can make my day and your sweet voice is one of the most beautiful sounds on Earth. You have been a blessing to me from your first moment of existence and I am so lucky to have been chosen to be your mother. I have so many wishes and dreams for you. You are my special little boy and I thank God for you daily. We are so proud of you and the perfect little man that you are becoming! I can't wait to see what joy and surprises this next year holds for you. From baby boy to big brother, you have made these incredible two years an amazing journey. We love you with all our hearts. Happy Birthday Angel!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

We spent the day with great friends and family at Chuck E. Cheese today to celebrate the big day. This was Caleb's first trip to see Chuck E. and all I can say is that the Bob the Builder ride was the hit of the day. Unfortunately, the song is stuck in my head. We had a great day playing, running around, and eating lots of pizza! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate. Stay tuned for pics from the birthday party on Saturday!

Bye Bye Paci!!!

2008-12-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well, since Caleb is almost two, we figured it was time to get rid of the pacifier! Paci and bunny are the two items Caleb cannot live without. So, it was interesting to see how he would adjust. We first tried poking a whole in the paci so that it wasn't that noticeable. Well, Caleb could definitely tell something was up. He kept saying his paci was broken. He actually could still suck on it though. So, we ended up cutting the entire tip off the paci. He did not like that one bit. He kept saying his paci was broken and kept trying to shove his bunny inside the hole to fix it. So, after a few rough nights without a paci, he is officially paci free. We promised him a special treat once his paci was gone. So, we have a new family member. Say hello to Jake the monkey! Caleb got to go to build a bear and pick out an animal t take home. He had a lot of fun! His girlfriend Kinsley actually went with us. It was a fun time and a special treat!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!! We have been super busy with all of the different holiday festivities!!! Christmas Eve we had dinner at Maymie and Pappy's and celebrated with the family! The boys had so much fun running around with their cousins and opening up presents. It was so neat to see Caleb get excited about his presents this year. Caden wasn't too into it. I think he liked the paper more than the actual gift. I'm sure next year will be a little more exciting. Speaking of exciting, we found out that Uncle Phillip and Aunt Lacy are expecting a new baby in August! :) We are so excited for you guys!!! Caleb and Caden can't wait to meet their new cousin!

On Christmas Day, it is a tradition to go to my grandparent's house and have an authentic Italian dinner. Everyone in the family talks about this meal all year long. After the boys woke up and looked at their gifts, we headed over to Mere and Pa's house, (my parents), to see what Santa brought the boys. They received so many wonderful toys, books, and clothes. There was one surprise that they had to search for from Santa. Santa brought the boys a Power Wheels Jeep. Caleb was so excited and couldn't wait to drive his little brother around. I'm sure that excitement will change when he turns 16. :) We definitely need to work with Caleb on his steering, but overall, he seemed to really enjoy it. Thanks "Santa" for the wonderful surprise. I'm sure we will be spending many days outside just cruising around!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and got to spend some time with the ones you love!!!

11 Months!!!

2008-12-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Caden will be 1 year next month! It seems like just yesterday when he was born. Caden is officially walking now and he is ALL over the place. It can be exhausting chasing around two toddlers. Of course it helps if they are headed in the same direction, but most of the time that is not the case. Caden is becoming more and more vocal every day and experimenting with all types of food. He is definitely his own person with his own likes and dislikes when it comes to food. It seems that whatever Caleb liked when he was that age, Caden likes the exact opposite. Go figure! He is also becoming more independent. I'm looking forward to seeing him celebrate his first Christmas and watching him react to things. I can't wait to see his reaction to Santa later this week when we visit at the mall. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. We've been getting ready for the holidays. One thing we thought we would try with Caleb is building a gingerbread house. In theory it was a good idea, but once we started, Caleb kept trying to eat all of the decorations. He LOVED the icing. Oh well, maybe next year!

4 Happy Years!!!

2008-12-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it has been that long. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. ;) Shane surprised me with a full day of fun. We went for a couple's massage and it was fabulous. He also surprised me with an overnight trip to a cabin. It was so great to have a nice, quiet, and romantic dinner followed by an evening with just the two of us. Sometimes it is so nice to just spend time with your best friend! I'm so blessed to have found such a wonderful man to share the rest of my life with. Thank you Shane for being an amazing husband, daddy to our boys, and my best friend! I love you!

On a side note, the night we were gone was one of the first snows we had of the year. Maymie stayed with the boys and they had so much fun playing in the snow with her! (Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures documenting the snowfall, but we had a pretty decent amount.) Thank you Maymie for watching our angels so we could enjoy a night out. You are the best!

Caleb LOVES to draw!!!

2008-12-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Caleb likes to draw shapes and pictures with a pen and paper. After a little while, he will get bored with drawing on the paper, and thinks it is fun to draw on himself or the wall. After a minor incident with an ink pen and the wall, I decided that the only way Caleb was allowed to draw was if he was strapped in to his booster seat so he couldn't get down. So, last night, Shane was trying to keep Caleb occupied before dinner while I was getting ready to leave for an event. He gave him two pens and some paper and let him draw. Not a problem...he was strapped in and my walls were safe. When Caleb was done, I guess Shane forgot that he had given Caleb two pens because one was left in the booster seat. So, this morning, Shane was out hunting and I was trying to get breakfast ready for the boys. Sometimes the boys will play under the kitchen table, so I didn't think twice about them being under the table and being EXTREMELY quiet. Next thing I hear is Caden crying and I go over to see what the problem was when I see this...

Poor Caden looks like he was whipped with a stick or something. Unfortunately, Shane left the second pen out and Caleb got a hold of it...no wonder he was so quiet. The ink did wash off, but the pen was a gel pen and when Caleb drew on Caden, it dug into his skin. :( So, I am hoping Caden doesn't get sick any time soon because I am sure Child Services would be called if the doctors saw this.

Like always, it has been a busy week. And, as you can see, these boys are ALWAYS keeping me on my toes!!! TGIF!!!

Christmas time is coming...

2008-12-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

We are getting into the Christmas spirit and wanted to share it with you!
We hope you are having a great week! There are 23 days until Christmas!!! Let the countdown begin!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

23 Months!!!

2008-12-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

Caleb is 23 months old today! It's hard to believe. He, like Caden, is growing like a weed. He is still talking up a storm and is now singing songs ALL the time. His new favorite show is Little Einsteins and he LOVES them. He pats along and sings along during the show. It all started one day recently when I was folding clothes and he was playing in my room. He started getting restless and I just turned on Disney to see what was on. He immediately heard the music and literally laid back on the pillows on my bed and did not move for the entire show. He was mesmerized. Ever since then, he has asked to watch Einsteins almost every day. The first episode Caleb saw was about the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf. Caleb will tell you that the big bad wolf blew down the piggies house. He said the wolf was a bad boy and needed to go to time out. So, I'm guessing he is finally understanding the concept of time out. :) He has also learned to do flips and thinks it is soooo much fun. He would do them all day long if I let him! I'll try to upload some video of him trying the flips. At first, he would roll off to the side, but now he rolls straight so I would say he has definitely mastered it. Thanks for checking in on us! We hope you are having a great week!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

This year has flown by and I can't believe we are already celebrating Thanksgiving. We had a busy day planned. First, I got up early and ran the Boulevard Bolt with my little sister. I haven't been able to run it the past two years, so I was definitely looking forward to it. Usually, the weather is freezing cold and you have to bundle up. This year it was absolutely perfect! We could not have had better weather for the race and the festivities. After the race, we headed to Maymie and Pappy's for our first meal of the day. It was great to see all of the extended family and hang out and let the kids play. We then went to my grandmother's to celebrate with all of my side of the family. Caleb and Caden are the only great-grandchildren on my side of the family and the youngest ones around. So, they are spoiled with all of the attention and have all of my family wrapped around their finger. We played, watched football, and ate some yummy food. It was great to see and catch up with everyone.
I love this time of year as we get to spend time with family and friends and give thanks for all we have been blessed with. There are so many things to be thankful for, and I am thankful for each and every one of you. I hope you have all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!! We love you!!!

Pay It Forward

2008-11-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take this time and let all of you know how thankful I am for each and every one of you. I could not ask for better friends and family. As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaches, and I hear more and more stories of how people are struggling, I couldn't feel more blessed or thankful to have all of my basic needs met. With that said, I have to share with you what happened to me today. My boys and I were at Target getting some items we needed around the house like baby food, diapers, etc. We quickly ran in the store, got the stuff we needed, and hurried to get back out. (It is kind of hard to have 2 little ones confined to a basket for too long when there are toys and other fun items all around.) Listening to the news and hearing all of the stories about people struggling financially is becoming more and more common. Of course I think about and pray for those people who are struggling, and I thank God every day that the people I know and love are not in that situation. With that said, as we were rushing to get to the car and load up, I was approached by a young girl who was in her car. I say girl because she couldn't have been any older than 21 or 22. Her license plates were from Oklahoma. Her car was making a loud noise and looked really beat up. She rolled down her window and started talking to me. She had a baby in the back seat who had to be Caden's age or younger. He was screaming and looked like he hadn't had a bath in days. The poor girl started telling me her story and that she had no place to stay and had no money for a hotel or even food to feed her little baby. She asked if I had any spare money that she could have. I don't know about you, but as for me, I don't ever carry cash because I always end up spending it. Well, it just so happened that a few days ago, I put on my winter jacket for the first time this year. I looked in the pocket and lucky me, there was $20 in there. I ended up putting the money in my visor, telling Shane when I found it that I was sure this would come in handy one day. Obviously, today was the day. I told her I don't carry cash on me, but that I would look and see what I could find. Then I remembered the money I found earlier this week. Was it just luck or divine intervention? So, anyways, I gave her the money and some of the baby food so her sweet little boy could have some dinner. She told me that her daddy was driving through the night to come and help her go back to Oklahoma. As I handed the money to her, her eyes filled up with tears and she said God bless you. As I got back in my car, my eyes filled with tears as I prayed for that poor girl. I thanked God for giving me that opportunity to be able to help her. I have always been passionate about helping people and after today, I couldn't feel more ready to make a difference. I challenge all of you to join me in Paying it Forward this holiday season and remember to give thanks for all of your blessings. Remember that it is the little things that can make a BIG difference!

10 Months!!!

2008-11-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

We are just two months away and I can't believe it! It is crazy to think I am about to officially have two toddlers! Caden is growing like a weed and becoming more and more vocal everyday. He has his two front teeth and two bottom teeth and he is definitely experimenting with them! We have started table food and I am looking forward to him eating his first Thanksgiving meal. He is kind of a picky eater, which is something very different around here because Caleb never cared what he ate, as long as he was eating! Caden loves to dance and play music. It doesn't matter what he is doing, but when music comes on, he stops dead in his tracks and starts dancing along. It's pretty funny! He still isn't walking yet, but he is close. He has taken ten steps in a row without any help, so I think he is getting there. He just isn't as daring as his older brother was.
We are looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend to see family and some dear friends coming in from out of town. We hope you are having a great week and getting ready for Turkey Day!!!

Caleb's First Haircut

2008-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

After hearing several comments from people thinking Caleb was a girl, I finally gave in and took him for his first official haircut. I guess I have put it off for so long because I didn't want him to lose his curls and look so much older. We didn't go anywhere fancy just for kids. We went to Great Clips. At first I was a little nervous because I didn't feel like the stylist really understood what I was wanting. After the first few cuts, I could see she was the expert and I quit worrying. So, now all of his curls are gone and Caleb truly does look so grown up. He was great and sat still long enough for her to cut it evenly. Caleb's reward was a lollipop and he was thrilled. So, we survived our first haircut and will definitely be going back when it is time for another one.

Here is a picture of Caleb from a few weeks ago...as you can see, he has the long, wavy look going on. No wonder some people thought he was a girl!

Here is his new look...(You can obviously see he was s0 not wanting his picture taken).

Daddy got a buck!!!

2008-11-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right. Shane finally got a deer. We are so excited that he was able to get a deer considering he hadn't seen a big one all season. Well, that changed today and we are extremely happy. Way to go Daddy! We are so proud of you. Caleb was super excited to see the deer. (Can you tell by his face in the picture?) Shane has always said that you aren't supposed to smile when you take a pic with your buck...I guess Caleb still has a lot to learn.

22 Months

2008-11-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Caleb is 22 months old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. He is still talking up a storm and is now fascinated with climbing. He LOVES "his" candy from Halloween and is constantly asking for a piece. We are now limiting it to when he uses the potty. He is getting pretty good at telling me when he has to go. I'm not sure if he really cares...I think the only thing he wants is his candy. At this point though, I'm willing to do whatever works. Anyways, to get back to his climbing, the other day when I was putting Caden down for a nap, I heard Caleb pushing the chair across the kitchen floor. I didn't think much about it until I heard him say "Mmmmmm'. I walked into the kitchen and found him not just up on the counter, but on top of the bar top where the Halloween candy was. That little rascal had climbed up and gotten a starburst and had eaten it with the rapper still on! So, needless to say, the candy has been moved to the top of the fridge...We shall see if he can figure out a way to get up there!

We hope you are having a great weekend!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

This week has been so busy for us with all the different activities that go along with Halloween. I can't imagine how it will be when the boys get older and have school functions thrown in the mix as well. Tonight we headed to Maymie and Pappy's house for dinner before going trick or treating with all of the cousins. It was great to see the family and take the kids trick or treating. We then headed to Mere and Pa's house to trick or treat in their neighborhood. We had so much fun and the boys came home with WAY too much candy. We hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight we headed to Mere and Pa's house for a yummy dinner and to carve pumpkins. We had so much fun! Caleb wasn't too sure of the pumpkin insides at first, but then he manned up and helped clean it out. Caden, of course, was just hanging out watching the fun. Next year you can help us buddy. Below are the two pumpkins we had this year. We had our Pirate pumpkin and our Jack O' Lantern. Aunt Tori ended up having a pirate pumpkin too, but we didn't get a picture. Hope you enjoy our creations!

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to Trunk or Treat with our sweet friends Rebecca, Mr. Brad, and Kinsley. This was Caleb's first experience with trick or treating and getting some candy. Needless to say he was a pro and loved it. The people would let him reach in the bowls and grab handfuls of candy. It was too funny. After getting lots of candy, we got to roast marshmallows and hot dogs by the fire. We even got to ride a hayride. It was lots of fun! Thanks Turner family for letting us join in the fun!

Here is Caleb with Ms. Deanna. He LOVES Ms. Deanna. She was the Cat in the Hat, and when he first saw her, he didn't recognize her and wasn't quite sure if he should give her a hug. He quickly changed his mind...especially when he saw all of the candy she had.

The funniest moment of the night had to be when we tried to get a pic of Caleb and Kinsley. The two were sitting next to each other when we told Caleb to give Kinsley a kiss. The pic shows what we got...Caleb wasn't shy to say the least. I'd love to know where he learned to grab Kinsley and pull her to him!

Our Second Home

2008-10-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been to the pumpkin patch too many times to count this year. This time we went with Aunt Tori so she could get a pumpkin for Halloween too. We had a lot of fun going through the big corn maze, playing in the corn, and of course riding the tractors. Caleb also loved helping Aunt Tori pick out her pumpkins. Thanks for coming with us Tori. We can't wait to carve pumpkins with you!

9 months!!!

2008-10-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Caden is 9 months old today! He has grown so much and is doing new things every day! He is cruising with the help of some push toys and Caleb's old red car. He still prefers to crawl though because it can get him there very quickly...he has to be able to keep up with brother. We had our 9 month checkup and were surprised with his measurements. He weighed in at 20 lbs. 8 oz.and he was 27 inches long. So, he definitely is growing. He is saying a few words like Momma, Dadda, and uh-oh. He's waving bye-bye too. He is so laid back and just loves to be around people...especially his brother.

We hope you are having a great week!

Destin 2008

2008-10-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Every year the Pharr family loads up and drives down to Destin for Fall Break. This year was a little different because everyone wasn't able to go. We sure missed those back in Nashville and wished they could have been there. The last time we were in Destin was in March when Caden was just 2 months old and Caleb was 15 months old. Let's just say this drive was very different from the one in the spring. We ended up stopping 4 times and getting there in 8 hours. Before kids, we could usually do the drive in a little less than 7 hours. Not anymore. And let me just tell you that an extra hour with kids REALLY makes a difference. All in all, it wasn't too bad and we couldn't wait to get there and hit the beach. The first day we were there we beached it up while the boys were golfing. A HUGE thank you to aunt Lacy for help with carting the kiddos and all of their stuff to the beach. Once we got settled, we had a blast. Caleb and Caden loved the sand. The water was a little cold and the waves were a little too big to enjoy, so we spent most of our time playing in the sand and filling up the buckets with water. That is pretty much what we did every day. We were daring a couple of nights and went out to eat with the whole group...college kids included. All I can say is that it was very interesting and I am so thankful we had such patient and fabulous servers. :) We couldn't have had better weather while we were there. It was sunny and warm every day. It was kind of hard to come back home to a high of only 60 degrees.
The only mishap we had was on the way home. We stopped for gas and let Caleb get out of the car to run off some of his energy. (For those of you with toddler boys, I'm sure you will understand.) *** Moms out there, I have a question for you...if you were letting your kids run around in a parking lot to play, and you had at least 5 hours to go in the car before you got home and you saw your child running toward a pile of dirt, in flip-flops none the less, what would be your reaction? A.)Would you let them get all in it and get dirty, or B.)would you divert their attention to something else to keep them clean? Also, think about what your husband would do? I am convinced most of the men would have acted like Shane and not cared. Either way, what happened next was a disaster. I was gone inside for not even 3 minutes when I came back out to find Caleb screaming. What could have happened? Well, at first I figured he just fell down or something, but then I realized Shane was brushing stuff off Caleb's legs. That's right...the mound of dirt was not just a mound of dirt. It was a fire ant mound and my poor little baby was attacked. Of course when I asked Shane what he was thinking letting him go over there, his response was, "I just thought it was dirt." So, how many of your husbands would have done the same thing? I would love to know. As one friend's mom puts it, she says when men do or say things like this, she just considers it a genetic defect. In the end, everything turned out fine and thankfully, Caleb didn't have a severe allergic reaction.
Overall, we had a wonderful trip and can't believe it went by so fast. We can't wait to go back. By the way, the trip home was much easier. The boys slept for the last four hours and we only stopped twice. I guess all of the fun in the sun wore them out.

This is Caleb from last year. It is amazing to see how much they change in a year. Do he and Caden look anything alike?

Caleb's Special Day

2008-10-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today was Caleb's special day with his Paw and Grand-mere. My parents wanted to have a special day just for Caleb, so they took him to the zoo. This was his first time to go to the zoo. Of course, he loved it and loved seeing all of the animals. He even got to ride on the carousel for the first time! If you ask him what he rode he will surely tell you he rode the leopard, and that a leopard has spots. After the zoo, he was treated to a happy meal at McDonald's. What a life! He had so much fun and I am sure he enjoyed being the center of attention like always. Mom, Dad, and brother really missed him though, and couldn't quite get over all of the peace and quiet. We are happy to have him back and hope to visit the zoo again before it gets too cold. Thanks Mere and Paw for such a special treat! We love you!!!

Fall Festivities

2008-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had our first visit to the Pumpkin Patch for the season. Last year, Caleb was almost walking, but couldn't really enjoy all the action and fun. So, I knew this year he would have a blast. We live across the street from a pumpkin patch and now that we have been once, all Caleb wants to do is go to the pumpkin patch. He says it every time we are pulling out of the neighborhood...it doesn't matter where we are going. So, I'm sure this will be the first of MANY visits to the pumpkin patch.
We headed down the road to Walden Farm to hang out with all of the cousins on the Pharr side. There were so many activities for the kids to do, it kept them busy for quite a while. Caleb is fascinated with tractors right now and jumped at the chance to ride the toy tractors in the play area. He loved the animals and enjoyed playing in the corn pit. He also enjoyed the kids maze, although he didn't really want to follow the normal way to go through the maze. Oh well. Thank goodness cousin Paisley was there to help lead the way and get him out. We had a great time spending time with the family and can't wait to go back. Hopefully next time it will feel a little more like fall, and we can go on the hayride without burning up.

Today we went to a Fall Festival with our good friends Brad, Rebecca and Kinsley. Unfortunately, Kinsley had already gone home by the time we got there because it was so hot. Caleb was sad that he missed his girlfriend. We enjoyed great music, food, games, and fun. Caleb got to jump in the giant inflatable jumper with Rebecca. At first he wasn't too sure, but then got the hang of it and seemed to enjoy it. The highlight of the event was the hot air balloon ride. People were able to ride in the hot air balloon. The basket was connected by a rope to the ground, so you couldn't fly away, but you could go up and then come down for a quick ride. It turns out the person who brought the balloon was the same guy that took us up last year for my birthday. Small world. Caleb was in awe of the huge balloon. When he first heard the burners ignite, he about jumped out of my arms. After a few times of hearing it though, he was okay and didn't seem to mind. He found Deanna, his new best friend. She was keeping him occupied and showing him how the balloon went up and then down. So now if you ask him about the hot air balloon he will tell you that it goes up and it comes down and that the fire is hot and makes it go up. Seriously, I think that is all he will be talking about for quite some time.
We had a great time and we look forward to the festival next year. Thanks Mr. Brad and Becca for inviting us. We had a blast. Unfortunately, Shane was not able to go with us this time. He had to stay true to his manly duties and go to the woods with hopes of finding a buck with no such luck. Oh well, maybe next time.

8 Months and 21 Months Old!!!

2008-09-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Caden is now 8 months old and so much has happened with him this past month. He officially started crawling right after he hit the 7 month mark. It was funny because at first we thought he wouldn't be crawling for a while, and then out of no where, he just took off. Talk about interesting. Now that both boys are mobile, it can be hard to keep up sometimes. I'll have Caleb running in one direction and Caden going another direction. Let me just say, there is NEVER a dull moment at our house. Aside from crawling, he is pulling up on everything and is completely fearless. He loves to try to keep up with his big brother and his temper really shows when he can't do something he sees his big brother doing. He LOVES to eat puffs and we have officially started calling him "Swiper" from Dora. Caden will come after Caleb whenever he has something. It doesn't matter what it is, but he will try and swipe it right out of his hands. And let me tell you, that little bugger is fast. So now, when Caleb sees Caden coming after him, Caleb starts running away, laughing and yelling, "Swiper, no swiping." It is pretty funny.
The boys are becoming the best of friends and interacting more and more.

Caleb is 21 months now and he is talking up a storm. The kid loves to talk. I have no idea where he gets it from. Ha! He is talking in 10-12 word sentences, and for the most part we completely know what he is saying. Sometimes I will have to interpret for Shane, but overall, you can really understand him. Sometimes when he is talking, he says some words with some of Shane's country twang and it is hilarious. Of course the teacher in me will try to get him to say it without the twang, but that doesn't always work so well, as he doesn't like to be corrected.
He is becoming more independent each day and is adamant about doing everything himself. I know that is a good thing, but sometimes it makes me sad to think that there really will be a time when he won't need my help anymore. :(
All the more reason to cherish these sweet and sometimes trying moments I guess!

Thanks for checking in on us and we hope you are having a blessed week!

Crazy Times at the Pharr House!!!

2008-09-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been absolutely CRAZY!!! It all started with the gas shortage. Seriously? Why was almost EVERY single gas station in the Nashville area out of gas? And WHY would you have to wait in line for a least an hour just to get a rationed amount of gas? I didn't understand and I still don't. So, that was a sign that our weekend trip to Knoxville was not going to go according to plan. The next thing that happened was that Shane got sick. At first he thought it was just food poisoning. However, two days later when Friday evening rolled around and he still couldn't get out of bed, we realized that we would definitely NOT be going to the game. So, we had to sell the football tickets (which were his birthday present)and watch the game from home. It turns out we didn't miss anything at all. The Vols ended up losing again!!! His poor stomach bug lasted throughout the weekend. By the time it was all said and done, Shane had lost 8 pounds...and that is not an exaggeration. By the time he was feeling better, no one else was sick so I thought we had escaped it. Yeah right. That Monday we were driving in front of Governor's Club when all of a sudden Caden started throwing up and choking on his vomit. Talk about scary! I almost wrecked trying to pull over. Luckily, we made it to Maymie and Pappy's house and Maymie was so gracious to let us clean up and take a bath at her house. Poor Caden obviously had the bug and he was pitiful. Caleb has never had a stomach virus so this was my first experience with a baby and vomit and let me tell you...it was NO fun! Caden started feeling better by Wednesday and I was just waiting for Caleb to get it too. However, I was shocked to find out that I was the one to be the next victim. And let me just tell you it was awful. I never got sick, but I was unable to get out of bed for a day and a half. So, here we are and Caleb still has not gotten sick. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that he was the lucky one this time!
We are all feeling better and have thoroughly disinfected the entire house.

We do have a new toy here at the house and the boys absolutely love it! Caleb got a power wheels 4-wheeler to ride just like daddy's 4-wheeler. I actually found it on clearance at Target and couldn't pass it up! So, we put it together and let Caleb drive it around the house. At first, he wasn't quite sure of how to steer it. He just hit the gas and drove straight into the kitchen table causing one of the chairs to fall on him. It didn't hurt him...I think it just scared him. Shane and I were laughing hysterically at the sight of him trying to drive and running straight into things without letting off the gas. I wish I had video of it. We are enjoying our new toy and loving the fall weather that has come our way! We hope you are having a great week!

Football and Friends

2008-09-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

Friday night we headed to Liscomb to cheer on the Mustangs. Mr. Brad, Rebecca, and Kinsley came with us and we had a great time watching the Mustangs play. Caleb enjoyed seeing Kinsley and eating all of her goldfish. Caden, of course, was content to just watch all of the action down below. Of course, we forgot our camera and didn't get any pictures of the night, but the boys were definitely showing their team spirit and sporting their Mustang gear. The Mustangs won big and it was great to watch Zach Rogers and his amazing talent. Football season is definitely here and we can't wait to go to many more games.

Saturday night we headed to dinner with some of Shane's best friends from his college days. Bean and Mary. They used to live in Texas, and now live here in Nashville. It is great to be able to see them more often. We went to Cheesecake Factory and had a nice dinner outside. The weather couldn't have been better. Mary and Bean are expecting a baby in the spring. We are so excited to meet their new little one very soon! It was great to have a grown-up night out and get to catch up and reminisce.

It's Football Time in Tennessee!!!

2008-09-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the first game for the Tennessee Vols this season. We started the evening out with a pre-game at Maymie and Pappy's. We ate some good food, hung out and waited for kickoff! Well, the game wasn't too exciting, but it got really good at the very end. Needless to say, the Vols ended up losing and we were VERY disappointed and upset. Let's just hope this is the only loss for the season. Please look at the pictures below to see how upset we were. We are looking forward to heading up to Knoxville in a few weeks to cheer on the vols for the Florida game. Hopefully, that one will be a win!
Here are the reactions to the loss!

As you can see, Caden was obviously upset!

We hope you are enjoying the week!!!

20 Wonderful Months!!!

2008-08-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today is Caleb's 20 month birthday! I can't believe it. He is so big and surprises us every day. It is amazing what my little man will say and do. He has such a great sense of humor and loves to be the life of the party. Nothing ever gets past him. He is definitely using his imagination and can keep himself occupied with pretty much anything. Like I posted before, he loves to be outside and on the go all of the time. My baby is almost two. Wow! Time really does fly when you are having fun.

Weekend of Fun!!!

2008-08-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend was a very busy weekend! It first started on that Saturday when we went to see Thomas the Train. Caleb was mesmerized by all of the trains and fun things to do. We arrived 20 minutes before the train departed and it was impeccable timing. We didn't have to wait in line and they were boarding our passenger car as we walked up. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. There were people there who were sweating and had obviously been waiting in the hot sun for a while. Some kids were screaming and it was sort of a madhouse. I looked at Shane and laughed saying, I bet you never thought you would be doing this on a Saturday morning. :) The train car was air conditioned and we actually weren't too crowded. We sat on the perfect side because when we started moving, we were on the side that was overlooking the river, the stadium, the bridges, and even the makeshift houses built by the bums. Needless to say, the train ride wasn't that long, but it was perfect for the attention span of toddlers. As the 20 minutes were coming to an end, all of the toddlers were getting restless. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures from the day because our camera battery was dead...go figure. But, it was a great experience and we hope to do it again next year. By the way, Caden was with us and he was very well-behaved as usual.

Sunday was Shane's birthday. We actually didn't make it to church because we overslept. Whoops. We never set the alarm clock because we haven't needed it since the boys were born. So, needless to say, we were shocked that both of them slept in until 8:45. Service is at 9:00 a.m. so there was no possible way that we could have made it in time. That was the first time that happened. So, Caleb and I decided to make Shane some peanut butter waffles and serve him breakfast in bed. Shane enjoyed the breakfast and Caleb did too. Poor Caden kept eyeing those waffles!!! Sorry buddy, but you will have to wait a little bit longer for those. After breakfast, Shane got to open his presents. We gave him tickets to the UT vs. FL game in September. He was so shocked and so excited! We can't wait to go to Knoxville and cheer on our vols!
Another thing that made Shane's birthday extra special was getting to see Josey in the trials up here in Nashville. For those of you who don't know, Josey is no longer living with us. Back in June, Shane had a chance to give Josey a better opportunity and a more purposeful life. That dog was made to hunt and run in trials. He is Phenomenal!!! There was a friend of a friend who breeds labs and trains them for the trials who wanted Josey because he had heard such great things about him. So, after weighing the pros and cons and a few tears, Shane decided Josey would be happier doing what he lived to do. So, now, Josey lives with a lot of other dogs and is trained and worked with every day. The great thing about it is that we can see him whenever he comes up here for the trials. So, Sunday afternoon we loaded up the car and went to see him. He was AMAZING in the trials and nailed it every single time. We got to spend a little time with him after he ran and we are so proud of him. And even though we miss him terribly, (Caleb still asks to go see Josey), we know it is for the best and he is very happy!

Later that night I took Shane to Maggiano's for his birthday dinner. It was actually very crowded that night. The waitress said that was the first night in 3 months that they had a wait list. How funny! Anyways, we didn't have to wait long and we enjoyed a nice romantic dinner with just the two of us. It was so nice to get away and be by ourselves. Happy Birthday Shane!!! You are an amazing husband and father. Thank you for all you do for us. We love you more than you will ever know.

Thanks for checking in on us. We hope everyone has had a great weekend!!!

Happy 7 Months!!!

2008-08-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Caden is already 7 months old. The time has absolutely flown by. He is getting bigger every day and learning so many new things. He and Caleb are becoming the best of friends. Caleb can be so sweet to his brother. In the mornings when Caleb wakes up, all he wants to do is go wake up Caden and get in his bed. It is the sweetest thing when Caden sees Caleb. His face just lights up with the biggest smile. This past weekend, we also went to visit Shane's grandmother and grandfather. I am embarrassed to say this, but it was actually the first time that Shane's grandmother had seen Caden. We enjoyed our visit with them and enjoyed a delicious lunch thanks to MeeMaw. We are so glad to have had the chance to visit with them. We love them so much. Ever since then, Caleb asks to go see MeeMaw every day. We hope you are having a great week! Thanks for checking in on us.

Birthday Time

2008-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

August is a crazy month for the Pharr family and birthdays. There are at least 4 members of the immediate family who have birthdays in August. So, we had a family cookout to celebrate them all at once. We had a yummy dinner thanks to Maymie. After dinner, the girls hung out with the kiddos and played outside, while the guys stayed inside and watched football. The cousins enjoyed playing with each other. It is so neat to watch them play together and become the best of friends. They are at such a fun age. I can't believe how fast they are all growing up! It was great to get everyone together and hang out. Here are some pics from the evening!

Always keep out of children's reach

2008-08-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Okay. So, whenever it comes to dangerous things like poison and medication, I ALWAYS follow these guidelines...Always keep out of children's reach. However, I never really thought about it with Caden and his food. It all started one glorious morning when Caleb had to use the potty. He is definitely not potty trained, but he will tell me sometimes when he needs to go potty. And, if he uses the potty, he will get a treat. So when he's gotta go, he's gotta go. With that said, the other morning, I was finishing up Caden's breakfast when Caleb informed me that he needed to go potty. I figured I could leave Caden's food in the cup holder of the tray of the high chair while I helped Caleb. I would only be gone for a minute...or so I thought. Besides, he had never been able to reach it before, so I thought it would be safe. Well, I obviously thought wrong. After helping Caleb use the big potty to go pee pee, and having him pee all over my leg and foot because it squirted out of the toilet, I came back to the kitchen to find this...

Sweet Caden had grabbed the container and decided to play with his food. So, after cleaning up a mess of pee, I got to clean up prune boy. When I came back and saw this, all I could do was laugh and get the camera for a picture. Oh well, what can you do? All I can say is that I definitely learned my lesson. To all of you out there with kids that think they have put something completely out of their reach...think again. If it is something that looks like a lot of fun, where there is a will, there is a way.

Nature Lover

2008-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

I know I have said this before, but Caleb absolutely LOVES to be outside. It doesn't matter how hot or cold...he just wants to be outdoors. This summer we have had a lot of fun outside at the pool, playing with the sprinkler, watering the garden, wading in the river...pretty much anything involving water. And, on days when we couldn't go outside and needed to find something to do indoors, what else but put both of the boys in the kitchen sink and have water play! Needless to say, it is kind of hard to watch a 19 month old and 6 month old around the water. But somehow we have managed. One day when it wasn't too hot out, we went to River Park near Crockett Park to go for a walk and look for rocks. Caleb loves to collect all different types of rocks whenever he sees them, so this was our adventure for the day. Luckily, Caden fell asleep during the walk, so Caleb and I could have some fun in the river. Caleb would say, "Yook Mama, Yook,a rock!" (That means "look mama look, a rock," ...We obviously still need to work on our L's.) It was nice to have the one on one time with Caleb since it seems like those moments are so few and far between these days. What's funny to me is that I never pictured myself raising two boys. I always thought I would have a girly girl and dress her up in frilly dresses and such. However, I am having so much fun going on these adventures and getting down and dirty with my little man. It is so amazing to see him get excited about the little things that we as adults seem to overlook. It is so refreshing to see things from his point of view.
Here are some pics of the fun times we have had.

Kids say the funniest things!!!

2008-08-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so today has been one of those crazy days. It all started this morning when I was making Shane's lunch for work. Well, I couldn't find a bag to put it in so I got an old gift bag from one of the baby gifts we received. Shane was not too thrilled to take such a girly, sissy bag, considering he is such a manly man. So, after much persistence, he reluctantly agreed. After all, the only people who would see it were his parents and Angela and Kara. So, Shane left for work and about 5 minutes after leaving, I realized he forgot his lunch. I'm not sure if he did it on purpose, but he swears he just simply forgot. Anyways. He had to turn around and come back to the house to get it. About 10 minutes later, I get another phone call and it is Shane asking me to come and pick him up because his truck had broken down. For those of you who know my husband, you know that he will not get rid of something until it absolutely has no life left. Big Blue has almost 200,000 miles on her and Shane is determined to keep her as long as he can. So, after getting the boys dressed and loaded up in the car, we made our way to the local car shop to pick him up. We finally got there and Shane came out with just a cup of coffee. "Where's your lunch?" I asked him. "Oh yeah, let me go get it."-Shane. So, he had to go into the shop and get his keys from some of the manliest men I had ever seen. Just picture your average mechanic...girly bags and mechanics don't mix. So, after Shane got his lunch out of the car, he had to go back in front of the manly men to give back his keys. Needless to say, they saw the bag and had to make a few comments. Poor Shane, he was embarrassed and couldn't believe he was carrying around the bag. I guess I was wrong about the people at the office being the only ones to see the bag. So, after a few chuckles, we headed to the office to drop Shane off. As we were driving, we started talking about what could be wrong with the car and how much he thought it would be to fix it. Then, Caleb out of the blue says, "Daddy! Buy a new car daddy!" I couldn't believe it. We hadn't even mentioned buying a new car and Caleb just decided to throw that out there. How funny! I guess we don't give him as much credit as he deserves...this little man knows what is going on and just takes the no-nonsense approach. I love it! If it doesn't work, just go buy a new one...I think he gets that from his mom. So, we shall see if it is the end of Big Blue. If so, I will be sad to see her go, but oh so excited to see who joins our family next!
We hope you are having a great week!

SBA reunion

2008-08-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a girl's night at our house with most of the girls from the good old SBA days. Kim, Kristen, Angie and Rebecca were able to come over for a girl's night out and long overdue reunion. We missed Ms. Laurie and Jessi...they weren't able to make it. Everyone who was there has at least one child now and it was kind of crazy with all of the little ones. Kristen brought Rylee and Jackson, Rebecca brought Kinsley, and Angie brought baby Jackson. He is actually 3 weeks younger than Caden. They had so much fun playing together. Sweet baby Davis didn't make it this time, but Kim promised to bring him next time. We can't wait to meet him! We had so much fun catching up and reminiscing on old times. We have promised to start doing this on a regular basis and not let so much time go by. Rylee was the little mom of the night and helped keep the younger kids in line. Thanks Rylee and thanks ladies for a great time!
Here are some pics from the night:

Here is Rylee reading a book to the boys. Caleb is extremely interested!

Here is Angie and baby Jackson. How sweet!

Here is Rebecca and sweet Kinsley!

Family Fun at the Fair

2008-08-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

This week we headed to the Williamson County Fair. This was a first for Caleb and a first for me. We were invited last year, but it was way too hot and Caleb was still too little. So, we loaded up the car and headed down to the Ag center. We met the Laytons and Maymie and Pappy (Shane's parents). We went around 7 so the heat wasn't that bad. I must say it wasn't what I expected at all. It was lots of fun and they had neat activities for the kids. There were a few rides that Caleb could go on. I of course was very nervous. Not only because of the fact that they were fair rides and all of the germs, but also because Caleb had never been on a ride in his life. Luckily, he had his sweet cousin Paisley with him to make sure he was safe. She is such a little mother...it is too cute. So, after riding the rides, we headed indoors to the area for the kids. They got to pretend to milk cows, pick apples, grow vegetables, etc. Caleb enjoyed that, but I must say the highlight of his evening was when he got to sit on the real tractor. He could have stayed up there all night! We then went to see the live animals. Caleb had a chance to ride a horse, but once he got up there, he wanted right off. After visiting the animals and enduring the wonderful smell of them, we decided it was time to grab a bite to eat. At the beginning of the night, Brian had asked me to ride one of the adult rides with him, and of course I said no. For those of you who know me, you know that I am not a fan. However, I guess a part of me wanted to be a little daring, so when he asked again when we were heading to dinner, I surprisingly said yes. So, we rode this tilt-a-whirl ride that was ABSOLUTELY horrendous. After the first 30 seconds I felt sick and I never felt right for the rest of the night. Anyways. Brian seemed to enjoy it and I'm glad that he had someone to ride the ride with him. I'm not sure though which he enjoyed more, the thrill of the ride, or making fun of me for feeling so sick. Either way, we had a great time and are looking forward to going again next year!
Caden of course was with us, and he enjoyed just hanging out and watching all of the people and animals. He is so good and content to just be with everyone else. He is such a sweet baby!

Here are some pics from the fair.

We hope everyone is having a great week!

6 Months Old

2008-08-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. Caden is officially 6 months old. I can't believe he is already at the halfway point. People warned me that the time would fly this second time around and they were definitely right. My little baby is getting so big. We went to the doctor for his 6 month checkup and I couldn't believe how big he was. He weighed 17 1/2 pounds. He is a chunk. I looked back at Caleb's stats for his 6 month checkup and Caden is just 2 ounces less than Caleb. I can't believe it. If you would have asked me 5 months ago if I ever thought he would be this big and gaining weight like his brother, I never would have guessed it. I'm so glad we are past those troublesome weight checks...whew!!! Anyways, he has definitely grown and the Dr. is very pleased with how much he has developed and grown. Shane was a little disappointed though because he was only in the 10th percentile for length. The doctor called him a square and said that he will most likely hit a growth spurt when he gets older. We'll keep our fingers crossed for that one. Other than that, he is doing great. We are so blessed to have two healthy and happy little boys!!!

As for Caleb, he has been sick this week. He woke up Monday morning with a fever and it progressively got worse. So, we headed to the dr. and it was strep throat...how on earth he caught that, I don't know. So, after 3 sleepless nights and some strong antibiotics, he is definitely on the mend and back to his rambunctious little self.

Here is a picture of Caleb driving his car and talking on the cell phone...let's not tell our State Farm Agent about this one! ;)

Here is Caden making a silly face scrunching his nose. Shane made this face at him one time and now whenever we want him to smile, he makes this face and thinks it is so funny!

We hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Happy Birthday Pappy!!!

2008-07-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Pappy's (Shane's dad) birthday. He turned 60! So, Ms. Sharon planned a huge surprise party for him. It was an all day affair. During the day, people were invited to come to the office and celebrate Mr. Phill's birthday with him. Then, in the afternoon, all of the kids and their spouses met at the Pharr's and were picked up in a limo to go surprise Mr. Phill for dinner. After picking him up at the office, we headed to Maggiano's. It was so nice. We had a dining room all to ourselves and the food was absolutely delicious. The grand kids all stayed home with baby-sitters, and even though they were missed, it was nice to have a sit-down dinner with no interruptions. After dinner, the limo took everyone back to Maymie and Pappy's where some of the family and closest friends were there to surprise Mr. Phill once again. It was great to see everyone and celebrate such a special moment. Thank you Ms. Sharon for all your hard work...it was a great success!

Happy Birthday Pappy! We love you and wish you many more years!!!

Splish, Splash We are Loving Our Bath!

2008-07-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Since Caden is sitting up now, we decided to graduate to the big tub! So, now the boys take a bath together and it is such an adventure. Caleb likes to try to rinse Caden's hair and splash water all over him. Thank goodness Caden is so laid back and loves the water. He just laughs at Caleb and smiles the biggest grin. So, here is a pic of them in the tub where they would actually sit still and halfway pose for a pic.

We hope everyone is having a great summer and staying cool in this hot July heat!

July Summer Fun

2008-07-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

July has been a busy month so far. First we had the 4th of July. We had a great time hanging out with the family and grilling out. After dinner, we headed to downtown Nolensville for the fireworks. We usually go to Crockett in Brentwood, but we thought we would try something new this year. So, we made it just in time and had our own private spot. Caleb and Caden both stayed awake through the whole thing and they were so enamored with the fireworks, or fireflies as Caleb called them. So, as the grand finale was coming to an end, we loaded up the car in hopes of beating the traffic. Well, no such luck. We tried to take a back way, and found out that the road had been shut down to become a one way in the opposite direction of our house. So, we decided to go the only other way we knew to get home and it too had been turned into a one-way...of course in the opposite direction. So, after Shane almost getting into it with a Nolensville cop and calling Uncle Brian for some help, we made it home after 35 minutes in the car when it only should have been 3. Oh well. C'est la vie!!!

Unfortunately we don't have any pics of the fun because our camera died. We will be sure to have it charged for next year!

We hope everyone is doing great!!! Happy 4th of July!!!

On Saturday we went to our cousin Kingston's 3rd birthday party. Caleb had so much fun playing with his cousins and the other kids, splashing in the water and riding around in Kingston's new power wheels. Caden, of course, was just content watching all the action and smiling and laughing at everyone. Meanwhile, some of the big kids had a fun time playing a serious game of horse. I don't think we really got to finish the game, but hey, it was fun while it lasted! Anyways, Happy Birthday Kingston!!! We love you and hope you had a great day!!!

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

This year's Father's Day was lot's of fun. After church, we went to a cookout at Jeremy and Beka's house. We had a great time with the family. Caleb played outside in the huge back yard with all of his cousins, while Caden pretty much slept the whole time and missed out on the festivities. All the guys were inside watching the U.S. Open...I guess they are allowed one day to sit inside and watch tv. :) After lunch at the Pharr's house, we headed to my parent's house for another cookout. We weren't able to get a good pic at my parent's house...mostly because it was the end of the day and you could really tell that Caleb had not had a good nap. Overall, we had a great time celebrating all of the important and special men in our lives. To Pappy and "Paw", thank you for your neverending love and support that you have given your families all of these years. We are who we are because of your amazing example. Words cannot fully express how grateful we truly are...We love you!

Shane, you are such a loving, tender, and strong man. I am constantly amazed at how wonderful you are. You make me want to be a better person. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of our family. You are our rock and I don't know what we would do without you. You are the best Daddy to Caleb and Caden and I can't wait for the moments to come when you can share all of your hobbies, and your love for life with "your boys". I love you more than you will ever know and I thank you for being the Godly man that you are. Happy Father's Day!!! I love you!

Time Flies!!!

2008-05-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't even know where to begin. As you can see it has been forever since I posted, so I apologize. May was a crazy month for us. Caleb was sick and then I had my gallbladder removed. It was very crazy around here for a couple of weeks after the surgery. I wasn't allowed to lift anything and needed lots of help with my babies. And for those of you who know me, I am not one who likes to ask for help. Shane was great as always, and took really good care of me and the boys. He helped out with the boys, the chores, and all of the other responsibilities here at the house. Anyways. I am much better and feel like a brand new person. So, thanks to everyone for all of your prayers and help. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends!

Here are some pics of the boys just hanging out enjoying the sweet summer time!!!

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

2008-05-15T20:09:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know what that is? I had never heard of it until this week. Well, according to the doctor it is highly contagious and yes, Caleb somehow has caught it. For the past three days Caleb has had a fever of 103 and not been able to eat or drink much of anything. It even hurts him to swallow his own saliva. :( He is so pitiful. All we've done lately is let him nap, try to eat popsicles, and read lots of books. From what I've been told it lasts for about a week. So hopefully we are halfway there. Oh yeah, since it is extremely contagious we are doing everything in our power to keep Caleb away from Caden. yeah right...like that really works. I've been dissinfecting like crazy so we shall see. I will keep my fingers crossed. In the mean time, if anyone has any suggestions of what to do to help him drink or eat something, please let me know. At this point I will pretty much do anything.
For an update on Caden. Well, he has been so sweet and patient considering what we've been going through the past few days. He is getting so big and growing up so fast. He has started rolling over and actually likes tummy time now. He loves to be sung to and loves to talk to us. He is full of smiles and I love to hear his precious laugh. He will be 4 months next week and I can hardly believe it. My how time flies.

Thanks for checking in. I hope everyone is having a good week!!!

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day was wonderful. We had lunch at Maymie and Pappy's. (We missed the Layton's and the Pharr's.) And then we grilled out at my nanny's house with my parents ("mere and pa" as Caleb would say) and the rest of my family. I am so blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to be a mommy to Caleb and Caden. They are such wonderful blessings. There are no words to express how thankful I am. So, I will just leave it at that. To all of the moms out there...thank you for all that you do!

Like Father...Like Son

2008-05-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Eating a yummy popsicle after a long day's work!!!

Well, as most of you know, Shane is a true outdoorsman. He would live outside if he could. It seems that Caleb is just like his daddy. This child would stay outside all day and all night if we let him. One of the things that we recently discovered is he LOVES to work in the yard. He obviously got this trait from his dad because most of you know I definitely do not do yard work. So, maybe he is a future landscaper. Either way, he is too cute holding his shovel and rake that is bigger than he is. And, if you are ever in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by and see the beautiful yard work that my two sweet men did together.

We're IN!!!

2008-05-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, after much persuasion from family and friends, we decided it was finally time to sign up. We've had many frustrating times recently with our computer, internet, and the IT people. But, now that everything is working well, we are in! I know it has been long overdue...but my motto is better late than never.

So, here is our blog to keep everyone up to date on our two precious boys Caleb and Caden. Shane and I are truly blessed and thank God everyday for the most wonderful gifts in the world. And even though they are thirteen months apart...We wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes the best gifts in life are the unexpected surprises!

So, thanks for checking in and seeing how we are doing!